Sunday, September 30, 2012

Hi Sunday! So many good things happen at midnight, I am having a hard time waiting!

Blog Stuff: This owl giveaway week was really fun. I will be closing the giveaway at midnight (or when I wake up, if I fall asleep first). I'll draw names tomorrow, and get in touch with winners. I got a lot of interest for the owls. Stay tuned for more owly goodness.

New from the babies: Gabriel is still potty training. I know *shakes head*. Anyway, today while I was at knitting, he pulled his diaper-thing to the side and peed on the floor by the shoe rack. Steve saw him do it, and was like "Gabriel, what are you doing?!?!??!" Gabriel pointed and said "Look, dog peed." As if we couldn't tell the difference between boy pee and dog pee. I have to admit, when Steve called me and told me I got many strange looks from the other people in the Barnes and Noble cafe because I nearly peed my pants laughing.

Mara has decided she cannot possible be awake without shoes on. First thing when she wakes up, she grabs her shoes and makes me put them on her. I am sure she would sleep in them if I would let her, but they have miniature spikies on the bottom (for advanced grip to prevent clumsy toddlers from dying) which hurt when she kicks. I get kicked a lot when she wakes up with nightmares.

Crafty things:

Nerd Wars starts tomorrow!!! (Which is really only an hour a way right now!!!!) So I was really good, and only started one new project. Other than this Cthulhu and the owls, I only worked on WIPs.

I managed to finish two of them! Both of the pairs of socks I had on the needles are done! This is good, because I need those needles to make two pairs of socks in October for Nerd Wars.

Still no CAL sqaures. I know, I need to work on them. I have been unmotivated for squares, though. I will try to get motivated. And I have a concrete plan for my niece's shirt/dress (dependent on the fabric I end up going with for the base), so that WILL happen this week. I will probably CO some socks tomorrow, too. And maybe the owl my best friend asked me for.

Books:

I finished reading "The Waters and the Wild" by Francesca Lia Block. Ah-may-zing! This had her stylist touch that I missed from''Pink Smog". The lines between reality and imagination were blurred in the best possible way. At only 128 pages, it is a super quick read, but worth the time. Yes, I know it is a 7-9 grade reading level book, but I will never stop loving the words that fall out of Block's head. Really, if I could crawl in her head for a week long vacation, I would. Any longer, and I would probably go insane. I also finished The Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters by Lynne Vogel. A lot of the information went over my head. I think this book will make more sense to me once I actually make a sweater. I don't have yarn to make a sweater yet, but one day...

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Last week, my friend Katie bemoaned the cost of maternity clothes on her facebook. Who can afford to buy a whole new wardrobe for herself that she will wear for less than a year, when also facing the looming costs of a newborn? I couldn't; I put off getting maternity jeans until I was 6 months along with Gabriel, and I lucked out with being gifted a handful of shirts and a dress I really loved. A friend of my sister's had her baby a couple months before I had Gabriel, and she lost her baby weight super quick, so she gave me her old stuff. A lot of it I have never worn. Whenever someone I know gets pregnant, I offer to let them sift through the baby clothes I have, and I set out my maternity clothes bin for them to look through, too.

Katie lives too far away for me to just drive over with some boxes, so I took pictures of all the clothes I had, and put them up on photobucket*. Katie looked through and picked out 7 pieces. Just like that, my Saturday Seven was done. (7 things)

This morning, I started cleaning my room and came across a few things to put in the donation bag:

A pair of khakis I will never wear, a purple crushed velvet-type shirt that I will never wear, two t-shirts that I bought when I was pregnant with Mara that don't fit me anymore, but aren't maternity shirts, and a stuffed Stitch. (5 things)

This week: 12 things
Total: 81 things

*If you or someone you know is looking for inexpensive maternity clothes, I still have 20 items. You can look through them here, and have whatever you want for $2 for the first item and $1 each for additional items for postage, or free if you come pick them up from me.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Only three weeks in, and I have made a square out of every color of leftover sock yarn I have. Expect the sample skein (10 yards) I have, but I plan on adding that this coming week. I really love this project, and it is hard to keep myself to a strict one square a day. I want to just sit and knit up the blanket, but I don't have enough leftovers yet.

I finished a pair of socks this week, so the leftovers have been added to the basket.

I knew I wasn't going to use the entire skein, so I made a square with it last week. I am trying to decide if I want to let myself start the helical socks, or force myself to wait until the October 1 to cast anything on. If I wait, I can maybe use the project for Nerd Wars. If I decide to wait, I will work on the skew socks. I think the skew sock yarn would make a great addition to the blanket.

I picked out the yarn I want to use for the Personal Sock Yarn Club in October. I am going to look through my sock book and at my ravelry queue to find a pattern. I am considering cables, but I'm not sure - I haven't done a cabled project yet.

I went to Joanne's because someone told me they were having a sale on sock yarn; I must have missed it. I was a little disappointed. I would like more sock yarn for the time between PSYC socks. Maybe my boyfriend got me a spot in the Ewereka yarn club?

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

After making the Owl Mobile, I just had to do more things involving owls. I am not obsessed with owls myself, so owl things would just sit around, neglected, if I kept them. This is where you come in.

The RulesEach day from September 24 to September 26, I will be posting owly things that I have made, that you could win. That is right, there will be three prizes that you could potentially win. To win, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page for each item. Each item will have its own drawing. I will close comments on Sunday, September 30, 2012. On Monday, 1 October, 2012 I will draw names for each of the prizes using a random number generator. Once the names are drawn, I will announce it in the blog and attempt to contact the winner of each item to obtain shipping information. If I do not hear from a winner withing 48 hours, I will draw a new name. The prizes will be sent off later that week, depending on getting my kids and the weather to cooperate for the 45 minute walk it takes to get to and from the post office.

Phew. Okay, are you ready to see the third prize? Here it is:

Prize 3: Black and White Owl Mobile

This mobile is made with acrylic yarn, bamboo rods, 4 plastic beads, and owls cut from magazine pages. It is approximately 3 feet long and 7 inches across.

How to enter:You can do as many or as few of the instructions below as you would like. Each item on the list counts as a separate entry. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each instruction.

1. Leave me a comment saying you love the bird.2. Subscribe to the blog using the button in the column at the right. Leave me a comment about it.3. Like my facebook shop page: BunniPhishCrafts. Leave me a comment about it.4. Share the BunniPhishCrafts facebook post about the giveaway. Leave me a comment about it.5. Visit my etsy shop. Leave me a comment about what item is your favorite, and what types of things you would be interested in seeing, even if you don't think I can make them.

If you are not able to leave a comment, send me an email at etsybunniphish@gmail.com - one email for each instruction.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

After making the Owl Mobile, I just had to do more things involving owls. I am not obsessed with owls myself, so owl things would just sit around, neglected, if I kept them. This is where you come in.

The RulesEach day from September 24 to September 26, I will be posting owly things that I have made, that you could win. That is right, there will be three prizes that you could potentially win. To win, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page for each item. Each item will have its own drawing. I will close comments on Sunday, September 30, 2012. On Monday, 1 October, 2012 I will draw names for each of the prizes using a random number generator. Once the names are drawn, I will announce it in the blog and attempt to contact the winner of each item to obtain shipping information. If I do not hear from a winner withing 48 hours, I will draw a new name. The prizes will be sent off later that week, depending on getting my kids and the weather to cooperate for the 45 minute walk it takes to get to and from the post office.

Phew. Okay, are you ready to see the second prize? Here it is:

Prize 1: Black and White Owl Mini-Pillow

This little owl is made from 100% cotton fabric and handmade button eyes. I think it is the perfect Halloween Owl - look at the floral-skeleton fabric. It is 4.75"x3.5"1.5" and weighs 20g.

How to enter:You can do as many or as few of the instructions below as you would like. Each item on the list counts as a separate entry. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each instruction.

1. Leave me a comment saying you love the bird.2. Subscribe to the blog using the button in the column at the right. Leave me a comment about it.3. Like my facebook shop page: BunniPhishCrafts. Leave me a comment about it.4. Share the BunniPhishCrafts facebook post about the giveaway. Leave me a comment about it.5. Visit my etsy shop. Leave me a comment about what item is your favorite, and what types of things you would be interested in seeing, even if you don't think I can make them.

If you are not able to leave a comment, send me an email at etsybunniphish@gmail.com - one email for each instruction.

In case you missed the giveaway information yesterday, you can find it here.

Monday, September 24, 2012

After making the Owl Mobile, I just had to do more things involving owls. I am not obsessed with owls myself, so owl things would just sit around, neglected, if I kept them. This is where you come in.

The Rules
Over the next three days, I will be posting owly things that I have made, that you could win. That is right, there will be three prizes that you could potentially win. To win, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page for each item. Each item will have its own drawing. I will close comments on Sunday, September 30, 2012. On Monday, 1 October, 2012 I will draw names for each of the prizes using a random number generator. Once the names are drawn, I will announce it in the blog and attempt to contact the winner of each item to obtain shipping information. If I do not hear from a winner withing 48 hours, I will draw a new name. The prizes will be sent off later that week, depending on getting my kids and the weather to cooperate for the 45 minute walk it takes to get to and from the post office.

Phew. Okay, are you ready to see the first prize? Here it is:

Prize 1: Black and White Owl Plush

This little owl is made from 100% acrylic yarn, with a cotton beak, felt, and safety eyes. This means you can hand it off to a child without worrying about the eyes coming off, or fretting over how to clean it - drop it in the laundry. It is 5.5"x3"x2.5" and weighs 38g. I improvised the design based off of the knitted owls I made.

How to enter:
You can do as many or as few of the instructions below as you would like. Each item on the list counts as a separate entry. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each instruction.

1. Leave me a comment saying you love the bird.
2. Subscribe to the blog using the button in the column at the right. Leave me a comment about it.
3. Like my facebook shop page: BunniPhishCrafts. Leave me a comment about it.
4. Share the BunniPhishCrafts facebook post about the giveaway. Leave me a comment about it.
5. Visit my etsy shop. Leave me a comment about what item is your favorite, and what types of things you would be interested in seeing, even if you don't think I can make them.

EDIT: Some people seem to be having a hard time leaving comments. I don't know why this is, but if comments are not working for you, send me an email at etsybunniphish@gmail.com - one email for each instruction.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Blog Stuff: How did you like the week based on a theme? It was really fun for me, but I'd love to hear your opinions.

New from the babies: Mara's high chair has been cleaned and put away, waiting for one of my pregnant friends to claim it for their own. It was just becoming more of a nuisance than anything. She still can't jump, but she will knock herself over trying.

Gabriel can put his straw in his juice box all by himself. Maybe you are not impressed, but I can remember fighting with those stupid straws when I was older than he is now.

Crafty things:

I did not make any CAL squares, and I still have an inch to go on both socks before I can start the toe decreases. They should have been done, I know, but... I got distracted. With this:

I found the pattern for these ADORABLE Owl Puffs by Jenna Krupar on ravelry, and I needed to make something with them. I immediately thought of my friend Katie, who is having a baby in February, and is decorating the nursery in owls. I asked if she had a mobile yet, and she didn't. So I made this:

Much more important than socks and squares, right? This week, though, the socks will be finished. Because I want to start a pair of for myself, and I need the needles. I will also try to squeeze in a few CAL squares. And a unicorn shirt/dress for my niece whose birthday is next month.

Books:
I finished reading "Sock Innovation" by Cookie A. This book has definitely found its way onto my holiday wishlist this year. The first half of the book is all about how to design a sock - discussing the components of a sock and how they can be manipulated with new ideas. It is brilliant. After reading it, I kind of want to design a pair of socks for myself... Maybe in the new year, when all the personal sock yarn club yarn belongs to me.

Also, I am in love with the Kai Mei socks. I will definitely be using that pattern for me.

I am in various stages of reading four of my other library books. I am pretty sure I will finish two in the next week, but maybe three.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Every month, the Vietnam Veterans on America send an envelope containing a yellow bag, asking for donations. I try to donate every other month - my storage room has boxes that I haven't opened since college, so I am sure there are always things I can get rid of.

This month, the pickup was Wednesday, September 19. I had half a bag I started last month (1 thing):

To that I added 6 stuffed animals that I have had since before Gabriel was born (I got the white bear when I was in middle school); 2 promotional hats Steve got from work last year (we don't wear hats); a blue sweatshirt that may have come from Mandi; a long-sleeve red sweater and a short sleeve black sweater, both with rode up while worn that either came from Mandi or Mer when I was in Michigan last month ; a grey t-shirt that I've had since before Kentucky that Becka occasionally wore, but didn't take (it has always been to small for my boobs); a green and white jumper thing that was terry cloth and obviously made for someone much younger than me - got this from Mer right before I got pregnant with Mara, I think; a black tank top that was in a box of random stuff Mer sent home with me from Michigan, and a phone from that same box.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

More accurately, I want to make a version of this for myself. I saw this pattern about a year ago, and decided I needed to knit socks in order to be able to make a blanket from the scraps. I don't want to buy yarn specifically for the blanket, so that means I need to make a lot of socks, or things out of sock weight yarn. Maybe I can convince Becka's mom to give me her sock yarn leftovers?Shelly Kang put the instructions to make a blanket like this on her blog.Details on her blanket:

512 sts per square times 736 squares (counting each of the large squares as four) adds up to 376,832 stitches in the squares alone.I want my blanket to be 60"x84". This will take 776 squares measuring 3 1/2" on the diagonal. The average weight of the squares I have made so far is 2.5g, so I estimate needing about 2kg of yarn.

My collection of sock yarn scraps so far is pretty small:

I have two pairs of socks on the needles right now:

and I am in a Personal Sock Yarn Club on ravelry where my goal is to make a pair of socks every month for the next year using stash - I had just enough sock yarn in my stash to do one pair a month for the next year.

My personal sock yarn club picks for the next year. The yarns on the left are for my mom, to be made before Christmas 2012. The yarn in the middle will makesporty socks for Becka, and the yarn on the right will all be for me!

I have a few skeins of sock yarn that are not enough to make a pair of socks on their own, but I am thinking of making a pair of helical stripe socks using coordinating colors. That will give me scraps in two more colorways, maybe three or four. I want my blanket to have squares in many colorways, like Shelly's. So far, I have made 15 squares (each large square counts as four). My goal is to make one square a day. If I keep up with that pace, my blanket will be done in a little over 2 years. I could probably finish it in less time, if I had all the sock yarn scraps needed. Hopefully 2 years will give me time to knit enough other sock weight projects to create the necessary leftovers.

How does all this fit into the theme for the week? I know it this is stretching the concept a little (or a lot), but since I am only using leftovers, I think I can rationalize this into the "make do" category. Some of the scraps I will be using are only a few yards long - not much good for projects other than this. Rather than throwing them out, I will be giving them purpose. Also, the scraps will not be sitting in the back of my stash, growing increasingly neglected and forlorn.The "Make Do and Mend" movement came about during WWII, when not only food but also clothing was rationed. You can read more about this here and here. I was inspired by Cast-On series 8 to work on this theme for the week.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Today's installment is brought to you by my irritation with my sponge falling apart this morning. One corner fell off while I was washing out a pot.

I'm tired of spending money on sponges that fall apart in a few months. When I was growing up, we used wash cloths for dishes. I have a few dishcloths, but... I'm just not a fan. They get the job done, but there is something I don't like about them. I don't like using wash cloths, either. I thought about it for a couple hours, and realized I like the size of sponges. With that enlightenment, I knit up a quick garter stitch dish cloth, but made it sponge sized:

It didn't feel thick enough, though. So I used a heel stitch across the body of the sponge. Still not thick enough.

Then I listened to a podcast that mentioned using multiple strands of yarn held together to knit thicker fabric. I knew about this, of course, but it didn't occur to me to use this technique until I heard someone talking about it. An "ah-ha" moment, some sticks and string later, I have two sponges that are almost as thick as kitchen sponges. And if knitted dish cloths are anything to go off of, these sponges will not be falling apart any time soon.

The sponges are easy to make, but if you are not knitting inclined, you can find them in my Etsy shop.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

I have in my linen closet right now a bunch of towels that are... not quite worn out, but not very attractive. When I grow up (or, ya know, when my kids do) I would like to have nice towels. The kind you don't mind displaying in your bathroom. The kind that don't have bleach/hair dye stains, parts that are threadbare, things like that. But right now, that is not the reality. Right now I have two littles who believe it is their right to wear towels as capes, use them to build forts, occasionally use them as sleds/gurneys to drag their toys around...Occasionally a towel takes more abuse than it can handle, and it gets pulled out of rotation. It gets a hole or the edges fray beyond what I am willing to put up with. What to do with these broken towels? I am definitely not going to throw them away - they are still useful. I decided to do make washable menstrual pads with mine. I made one back when I was in college, but I need more. So I made one. I took the shape idea from Lunapads and went from there. And I found a very informative video on how to take care of cloth pads, so you don't need to be worried about not knowing hoMaterials:An old towel (a hand towel is fine, or even a washcloth)Paper1 yd bias tape - you can make your ownA snap or velcroThreadTools:ScissorsPinsHand needleSewing machine (optional)1. Cut your paper into a square. The diagonal of the square should be roughly the desired length of the finished pad.2. With the paper folded in half, round all the corners.

3. Fold the paper into fourths. Cut a rounded right triangle from the edge. In the picture below, the wider part will be the pad, and the thinner part will be the wing.

4. Unfold. Pin the pattern to your towel.

5. Cut around the pattern.

6. Unpin the pattern. Sew the bias tape around the edges of the pad to keep them from fraying. As you can see, I wasn't too worried about how pretty the bias tape looked. I assume not a lot of people will be looking at it once it is in use.
7. Sew the snaps on the wings. Things I have learned the hard way when working with fastenings:Sew one on the top side of one wing, and one on the bottom side of the other wing. Make sure you have the correct indents and post facing out before you sew down. Sew down one, then check the placement of the other before you sew down.

Note that this does not have a waterproof lining. For me, that doesn't matter. I have a collection of underwear I only wear while bleeding, and since they are all black, I don't care if a little blood gets on them. If you care, put a nylon backing on. Or you could make the central pad part thicker by adding more layers of towel to that part. Or you could make the central part a pocket, and make inserts to put in it. You could also add elastic bands to hold inserts in place. These are really quick and easy to make, and very customizable.

Other ideas:

Many animal shelters will accept old towels, blankets and sheets to be used as animal bedding.

Michele at Michelemademe did a series on how to reuse an old towel. She got 5 projects out of one bath towel. To see, click here and scroll down to series 9.

Google it! There are plenty of lists on what to do with old towels.

*The "Make Do and Mend" movement came about during WWII, when not only food but also clothing was rationed. You can read more about this here and here. I was inspired by Cast-On series 8 to work on this theme for the week.

Monday, September 17, 2012

It was almost bedtime, I was walking to the kitchen and then I stepped on... something... and heard a crack. I turned on the kitchen light to investigate (I usually just walk through my house in the dark) and saw that I had cracked my dustpan. It wasn't just a little crack, though; the actually pan part was broken almost completely off. I thought to myself, "Great. Now I have to get a new dustpan. I will put it on the list in the morning." Then I went to bed.In the morning, I saw the broken dustpan, and remembered my thought from the night before. I was horrified with myself. A new dustpan? I didn't need a new one, I just needed to fix the broken one. I was especially surprised that my first thought wasn't to just fix it, because I had fixed a crack in the dustpan before. When did I become someone who just throws things away when they get a little dinged up? Or thinks about it, anyway?

The duct tape was the first fix, the packing tape was the second.

From an economic standpoint, it doesn't make sense. I could pick up a new dustpan for a dollar (more, if I don't go to a dollar store), or I could use a few cents worth of tape to fix the crack. From an ecological standpoint, it doesn't make sense either. If I threw the dustpan in the garbage both times it had broken and replaced it with a new one, I would be on my third dustpan since moving to Kentucky. That would mean I would have used 3x the resources for my dustpan needs, and also put 2 dustpans into landfills. I don't know the breakdown for making a dustpan vs. making a couple feet of tape, but I am pretty sure fixing the dustpan is a better option.

*The "Make Do and Mend" movement came about during WWII, when not only food but also clothing was rationed. You can read more about this here and here. I was inspired by Cast-On series 8 to work on this theme for the week.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Blog Stuff: Nerd Wars post. Yeah, I know. I think maybe I will give up on writing that post. I want to do it,, but I think I am too lazy to do it. Plus, I have a couple other things planned for this week. My theme of the week is "Make Do and Mend". New from the babies: Mara is trying to learn to jump. If you have never watched a baby try to learn to jump, you are missing out. The baby will gear up for it, then launch herself up on her toes. She doesn't actually leave the ground, but she thinks she does. Every "jump" causes great excitement. It is the greatest game ever to date, as far as she is concerned.Gabriel can now distinguish between pronouns. Before yesterday, everything was "her": "Let's go find her." "Those are her shoes." He now properly uses "him", "her", and "his". I know this is not the coolest thing ever, but it is. We have been working on this for... ever. Crafty things: I finished the shawl I made as part of a knit along. The pattern has been released now, and is available for free here. It is called the Labor Day Mystery Shawl. I made mine with lighter yarn and smaller needles than called for because I don't think I am into full-sized shawls.

Finished the third pair of my mom's Christmas socks (sorry for the awful lighting.)

I also started a new project.

I'd like to make a few CAL squares this week and finish up a pair of socks that have been on the needles for a while... Maybe you remember Aunt Kimmie's socks?In the mail:
I won a prize in Nerd Wars, and I received my prize this week.

This week I finished Pink Smog. At first I couldn't tell how I felt about it. Anyone who has read something my Francesca Lia Block can tell you she has distinct style. I felt like this book had the washed-out version of her style. Not a bad thing, necessarily, just way less intense than I expected. It didn't have quite the "walking around in a drugged haze" quality that I am used to. There were a few moments where I wondered about Weetzie's sanity, which is normal for Weetzie, and I found it enjoyable to get some of Weetzie's back story.

I am currently in various spots on four (or five?) of the other library books, and look forward to giving you a little blurb about them next week

On a side note, I always think it is so strange when people say they haven't read a book in years. Really? Years? How do they live? I have gone a couple of months without reading, I think, but never years! (And probably not even 2 full months...)

Saturday, September 15, 2012

This week's donation was unplanned, but was really easy to accomplish. Becka, Katie and John came over to discuss the possibility of me designing/making dresses for Katie's and John's wedding next month. While they were here anyway, I foisted off random baby stuff I don't use/want anymore.

A diaper pail I got at Gabriel's baby shower. I used it for the cloth diapers, and it worked really well. (1 thing)

I grabbed together a stack of the cloth diapers that I am pretty sure I only used once (I used them, then found my stash from when Gabriel used them, and put these ones away to be cycled in when the others started falling apart), plus diaper covers Steve's mom got for Mara, and a diaper cover Becka's mom bought before I was even pregnant because she saw it on clearance at Walmart and figured someone could use it someday. (4 things)

Then I realized Mara has a basket in her room with baby stuff that I don't even look at anymore. I looked in the basket and found: another stack of cloth diapers, these ones never used; 2 diaper covers I'd never used; a stack of reusable inserts for two of the covers, a stack of disposable inserts for those same covers; a pack of milk storage bags that I'd never even opened, because Mara refused to try bottles; the 4 disposable breast pads I still had. The two stacks of inserts came from Gabriel's shower; everything else was given to me when I had Mara. (7 things)

Then I realized I had some random hospital stuff taking up space in my closet, so I gave Katie all the stuff that I had gotten from the hospital when I delivered Gabriel, but didn't use: a stack of bed pads, a pair of disposable underwear (Mandi, I know you are jealous that I had those and didn't give them to you), and a stack of perinatal pads - the kind with the cooling gel pack in them that the hospital I had Mara in did not carry. (3 things)

Right before they left, I handed Becka a box of tea from my tea stash because she is getting over a cold, or the plague, or something. Even though I think it is yummy, I know it is her favorite. (1 thing)

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

This week's sewing post is brought to us by my senior year in high school. This is the story of my favorite purse of all time.

I had an independent study art class, and I decided I wanted to make myself a purse. I found the most fantastic fabrics in the art supply stash area, and drew out a sketch. I wanted the purse to be reversible, and to have a pocket for my phone on the inside and outside. I needed my purse to be able to hold my planner (supplied by the school and mandatory if I wanted to move out of the classroom at any time), my graphing calculator, my journal, and whichever book I happened to be reading. Since most I the books I was reading at the time were fantasy novels on the thicker side (Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, 560 pages; Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, 912 pages; The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling, 544 pages), I decided I needed to make the purse into a box shape, rather than a pocket shape. I figured pens and lip gloss could figure out their own space at the bottom.

I drew out the pieces I would need directly onto the fabric using a ball point pen. I used safety pins to hold the seams together as I sewed by hand (I didn't have access to a sewing machine). I used the backstitch for every seam. I figured out how to make every feature I wanted work. I think it took me nearly a month to sew the entire thing. It was a simple design compared to things I make now, but I was so proud of it. I used it EVERY day, and it was much complimented by my friends.

A week before graduation, I went to a concert with my sister and best friend. Well, my sister rode with different people, so we met up with her once we got there. My ride to the concert was awful; my best friend had secured us a ride with her current boy-thing and his friend - a guy who had tried to kiss me, then got pissed when I told him I had a boyfriend. On top of being in an awkward social situation, we had to lay in the back of his mini van, which had no seats, so that cops couldn't see us riding illegally. For TWO hours, while the jerk guy got lost.

The getting lost multiple times made us later than we had intended. We missed the opening band; I wasn't that upset, because I didn't even know who they were. My sister said they were pretty good, but not great. Then she told me something I found devastating. The first 50 people to buy the new album of the headliner, Orgy, would meet the band after the concert. Those albums with the special stickers on them were sold out by the time I arrived. Tragic.

Shortly after we arrived, the second band of the night, Godhead, took the stage. I didn't know any of their songs, so their set passed in a blur for me. They set up in the lobby, though, to sign autographs, so my sister and I went to meet them. I had paper in my purse, because I always have extra paper in my purse. We got the autographs and were about to leave the table, but the front man asked us to wait so he could talk to us some more. After he finished signing autographs, he got our email addresses and invited us to go backstage with the band. I thought about it for .00005 seconds, but declined even as my sister was agreeing. She was 16, I was 17, and I figured that even though we were being invited backstage to "talk", there would be expectations of activity other than talking.

Then Orgy took the stage, and I excused myself from the conversation.

The show was amazing. My sister fought some girl in the mosh pit over a towel the band threw, and she made it out with most of it. At one point, a few girls were handed up on stage with the band - I was one of them. The encore song was Stitches, my favorite ever song. Then the show was over, and my sister was going to the meet-and-greet. Before she went, she asked if I wanted them to sign something. I dumped out my purse and handed it to her.

This next part, I have to trust my sister on:
She told the group my birthday was the following week, so they sign their names and , the band name, and "Happy Birthday" on my purse. My sister told Jay Gordon, "My sister f***ing loves you!" and he said, "Tell your sister I f***ing love her too!" They also signed her ripped towel, and Paige Haley was amused/impressed by her efforts to obtain said towel.

My sister brought back stories and my purse, I put my stuff back in the bag, and then we went home.

I don't carry that purse anymore - it quickly became too small to hold all the things I needed to carry every day. I bought a shadow box for it, and now it hangs on a wall in my room. It definitely has the most interesting life story of any purse I own.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I have an addiction. Well, I have a couple addictions, but I am only going to talk about one today. Today's addiction is: books. Some people like cars, some people like shoes. I like books.

When I was in high school, I wanted to have a used book shop with a cafe. This combined all the things I really liked - books, flavored coffees and teas, and baked goods. Then I grew up, realized that wasn't practical, and moved on. Still, there are few things I like better than curling up with a chai, a blanket and a book. I'm sure readers of this blog would assume that my favorite thing to do is craft, but you would be incorrect. I do love to craft, but not as much as I like words.

You know that feeling you get when your crush flashes you a smile from across the room? That is the feeling I get when I walk into a library. Yeah, I'm weird. Whatever. I just know that when I walk into the library, I get to leave with a stack of books and dvds I am going to enjoy curling up with. And they are free! Okay, I have to return them in a few weeks, but I don't need to keep every book I read. The ones I can't live without, I put on my amazon wish list and wait for.

Today's library visit started like many others: I walked in with the intention of picking up two particular books: Timeless by Gail Carriager, and Sock Innovation by Cookie A.

No big deal, right? Just walk over to the appropriate shelves and grab the books. I walked to the new fiction rack, found "Timeless", then walked directly to a computer to find the call number for "Sock Innovation". I got the call number and walked to the appropriate shelf. I didn't even look at titles, only call numbers. I found "Sock Innovation", turned to leave, and then... my eye hit the shelf. I saw Knitting Green by Ann Budd. The title caught me. I grabbed the book, glued my eyes to the ground, and tried to make my retreat.

I walked all the way out of the non-fiction section, but the young adult section sign caught my eye. "I'll just check if they have anything from Francesca Lia Block that I haven't read," I told myself. I walked to the shelf and right there, at eye level, was The Waters & The Wild. I couldn't leave it on the shelf after coming to look, so I grabbed it. I turned to go, but the spine of Crusader by Edward Bloor caught my eye. I grabbed it. I walked out of the shelf, but then I thought, "Has Holly Black published a new book?". I walked back to the shelf, saw two titles I had already read, and then The Poison Eaters. I added that to my stack and, noting the weight in my arms, walked away. I had made it almost out of the young adult section, when a pink cover waved at me from the new rack. I almost didn't walk over, because pink and I don't always get along, but then I saw the author. It was Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block. Onto the stack it went, and out of the young adult section I went.

In order to get to the children, I had to pass the DVDs. I made it past the stacks, and thought I was in the clear when I saw Bride and Prejudice. I tried to keep walking, but the cover said "From the director of Bend it Like Beckham", so it was a lost cause. Onto the pile it went.

I collected the children and Steve, and was making my way to the circulation desk when it happened. One of the books on the shelf by the entry to the children's room caught my eye. The cover art of Frances Hardinge's Fly by Night has a banner that says:

"Imagine a world in which all books have been

BANNED!"

Again, I tried to leave. I did. I even walked away. But then I turned around and grabbed it.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Hello Sunday! I feel like the past week has been a super-struggle to get back to normal after my Michigan trip. I think maybe I have finally fallen back into my normal routine. I am trying, anyway.I found out I have been pronouncing the word mauve incorrectly for about two decades. It rhymes with "grove". Why didn't you guys tell me?Blog Stuff: Nerd Wars post. I said I was going to do it last week, but I didn't. It's kind of good that I didn't, because when I write it this week, I have something awesome to add to it. That is all I am planning, in addition to my regular posts. New from the babies: Tomorrow, Gabriel turns 4. I look at him, and I still see this:

About 5 days old

The reality is that he was hitting on one of Steve's friends today. She is 21. Gabriel seems to think age is just a number.Mara has started answering questions for real now. No longer is "no" the answer to all questions. She appropriately says "yeah" and "no!".Crafty things: I have not finished anything this week. I got close to finishing a sock; I only have to do the toe. But... I should have that sock and its mate done by next Sunday, and a shawlette, too. And maybe an ami.

In the mail:
I got a lot in the mail this week. Well, I got two packages. But they feel like a lot.

Package 1:
This is the small package. I got two squares, and a set of four stitch markers. I LOVE the stitch markers. I want to make a project that requires stitch markers just so I can use them.

Package 2:
I was part of a bag swap where person a sent to person b, person b sent to person c, etc, and the last person sent to person a. Package 2 I mentioned yesterday went to my person, and from the person ahead of me, I got:

I know you are completely jealous of this gorgeous bag. If it weren't mine, I would be jealous, too. It has two exterior pockets that are the perfect size to hold a skein of sock yarn each. The interior has a divider that has it's own pockets. This makes six sections/pockets on the inside.

The person who sent the package to me is a girl I know from high school. Her name is Michelle. It was really cool to have someone I knew IRL as a partner. She spoiled me rotten. She sent a translucent green folder to hold patterns, 2 skeins of sock yarn that I will be using for me, a skein of bamboo yarn, a set of DPNs, a mini sewing kit, and a plastic organizer that she filled with stitch markers, buttons, and stitch holders. Dukki looked over the bounty with approval.